Folding table



A ril 25, 1933. F. H. HATFIELD FOLDING TABLE Filed June 24, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 E E. INVENTOR ATTORNEY A'pfii 25 @330 PH. HATFQELD FOLDING TABLE Filed June 24, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 L EI INVENTOR ATTORNEY A ril 25, 1933. F. H. HATFIELD 1,905,282

FOLDING TABLE Filed June 24. 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR GYM/014% 0, ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 25, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT orrlcn FLOYD H. HATFIIELD, or nAwLms, WYOMING, ASSIGNOR or ONE-TENTH re NATHAN. n. GBEENFIELD, ONE-TENTH r THOMAS W. CRAIG, Ann 0m; ONE-HUNDREDTH r0 GEORGE M. BERGEN, ALL or nnwrnrs, WYOMING FOLDING TABLE Application filed June 24, 1931. Serial No. 546,543.

This invention relates to a folding table adaptable for various purposes and which will be compact when folded to permltconvenient storing in a small space and will be '5 easy to carry from one place to another and has for the primary object, the provision of a collapsible top and folding legs so arranged that the legs willautomatically assume supporting position when the top is ex-, tended and fold within the top when the latter is collapsed, thereby providing a table requiring only minimum efiort on the part of a: person to extend for use or to collapse for storage.

Another object of this invention is the provision of operating means for the legs affected by the movements of the top for foldmg or extending the legs in accordance with the collapsing and extending of the top and which will effectively brace and hold the legs in supporting position against accidental folding when the table is in use.

A furtherobject of this invention is the provision of :a folding table of the above stated character which will be simple, durable and efiicientand which may be manufactured and sold at a comparatively low cost. 7

With these and other objects in view, this invention consists in certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

For a complete understanding of my invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which 1 Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation illustrating a folding table constructed in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a similar view partly in section.

.Figure3 is abottom plan view illustrating the operating means between the table top and the legs with the latter in folded position. i V V Figure 4 is a similar View showing the table collapsed.

Figure 5 is a sectionalview taken on the 50 line 5 5 of Figure 4.

in .a supporting position.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary sectional view taken at right angles to Figure 8.

Figure 10 is a detail sectional View taken 6 p on the line 10-10 of Figure9.

Figure 11 is a plan view illustrating one 7 of the levers of the operating means...

Figure 12 is a detail view illustratinga universal connection between said lever and 6' one of the links of the operating means; n

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral '1 indicates an adjustable table top including a pair of sections having telescopic relation and each section includes an inner member 2 having secured thereto side and end members 3 and 4.. The inner members are slidably connected by telesbopi c braces or members 5 whereby said members 2 may be slid toward and from each other for the purpose of extending the table top. The'members 2 are covered by' outer plates ,6 having telescopic relation and form the supporting surface for. the table. The plates are bent to form marginal flanges engaging the members-3 and 4 and are suitably secured thereto. Opposite sides of the outer plates .6 are formed to have telescopic relation by forming on oneof said plates guides 7 slidably receiving extensions 8 on the other plate. This arrangement permits the top 1 to be extended or telescoped when desired and wh'en'in the latter name-d position, the adjacent edges of the inner members 2have abutting engagement and when in an extended position the outer plates provide a continuous supporting surface for the table.

Pairs of brackets. 9 are secured to the top 1 and one pair of brackets is arranged laterally of the other pair so that the legs 10 pivoted thereto may be'folded in parallelism with each other and in engagement with the inner members 2. Cushioned bumpers 11 are carried by the legs 10 at their pivoted 10c ends for engagement with the inner faces of the members 4 when said legs are in supporting position and are adapted to permit the legs to yield slightly under the influence of an operating means 11. Each leg is provided with a channel shaped guide element 12 to slidably receive a brace arm 13v formed integral with the operating rod 14 journalled in brackets 15secure'd to the inner member 2. The brace arm extends at rightangles to the rod 14 and has a head 16 formed on its free end and slidable within the guide 12. The guide 12 adjacent one end is provided with a 'pinorstop 17 to be engaged by the head 16 as shown in Figure 8 forth'e-purpose of holding the leg in a supporting position as shown in Figure 8. A crank arm 18 is formed onthe opposite end-of the operating rod 14 from the brace arm 13 and is pivotally connected to a link '18 which is in turn connected to one arm of a bell crank lever 19 by a universal connection 20. The other arm of the bell crank lever 19 is of a greater length'and as shown in Figures 3 and 4 the bell crank lever is pivoted to theinnerimember 2 as shown at 21 while the longest arm of the bell crank lever has pivoted thereto a link 22 which is inturn pivoted to the'opposite inner member 2 from the inner member to which the bell crank lever is pivoted, thus it will be seen that each leg is provided with an independent operating means affected by the movements of the sections of the table lheside members 3 of the inner members are providedwith-suitable finger grips 23 to permit aperson to obtain a firm grip upon the device when it is desired to adjust the inner members 2 toward or from each other.

When it is desired to place the table in use from a position as shown in Figure 4, the operator places the fingers of the hands within the finger grips and pulls the inner members 2 away from each other causing the operating means 11 to swing the legs into supportlng positions and as the legs reach the last named position the heads 16 of the brace arms'13'ride over the pins or lugs 17 and engage therewith as shown in Figure 8 firmly maintaining the legs in supporting position; The cushioned bumpers 11 as shown in Figure 8 have a tendency to urge the legs toward folded position maintainingthe pins or lugs in engagement with the heads 16 and said bumpers will yield sufficiently to permit the legs to move for disengaging the heads 16 from the pins when it is desired to fold said legs. The legs move into folding position by the sections of the table top being telescoped toward each other thereby positioning the legs within the side members 3 and 4. and against theinner members 2 providing a compact table which can be conveniently carried from one place to another and stored in a comparatively small space. It will therefore be seen that by adjusting the table top to. itsvfull extended position the legs will be automatically moved into supporting position and firmly held in the latter named position thereby providing a table capable of use for various purposes andwhich will be sturdy and substantially rigid when in use.

. While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it will nalled to the sections ofthe top, brace arms on said rods and slidably received by the guidesfheads .on the brace arms to ride over and engage with the stops when said legs are in supporting position, cushioned elements carried by the legs toengage the top when the legs are insupporting position to permit said legs to yield during, the movement of the heads over and into engagement with the stops, and means connected to the operating rods and to the sections of the top for causing said legs tomove into folded position when the sections of the top are collapsed and to move said legs into supporting position when the sections of the top are extended. 7 i

2. A folding table comprising a sectional top, said sections having telescopic relation, legs pivoted to the sections, operating rods journalled to the sections, brace arms carried by said rods and slidably secured to the 7 legs, bell crank levers ivoted to the sections and having one of t eir ends con nected to the operating rods and theirother ends pivoted to a section other than the section to which said bell crank levers are pivoted to cause the legs to move into folding position when the sections of the top are collapsed and to move the legs into supporting position when the sections of the top are extended. 1

3. A folding table comprising a sectional top, said sections having telescopic relation legs pivoted to the sections, operating rods journalled to the sections, brace arms carried by said rods and slidably secured to the legs, bell crank levers pivoted to the sections and having one oftheir ends connected to the operating rods and their other ends pivoted to a section other than the section to which said bell crank levers are pivoted to cause the legs to move into folding position when the sections of the top are collapsed and to move the legs into supporting position when the sections of the top are extended, lugs carried by said legs to be engaged by the brace arms for maintaining the legs in supporting position, and cushion elements carried by said legs for engagement with the top to permit the legs to have a limited movement for disengaging the brace arms from said stop.

47. A folding table comprising a top including telescopic sections, legs pivoted to the sections of the top and capable of either being folded within the top or extended relative to the top to support the latter, and an operating means connected to said legs and to the sections of the top whereby the sliding movement of the sections relative to each other to collapse the top causes said legs to fold within the top and a sliding movement of the sections in an opposite direction to extend the top causes the legs to move into supporting position.

5. A folding table comprising a collapsible top, folding legs for said top, operating means between the legs and top to fold the legs by the collapsing of the top and to unfold said legs into supporting position by the extending of the top and simultaneously securing said legs in the latter named position, and cushion means carried by the legs to engage the top for permitting said legs to have limited movement under the influence of the operating means for freeing said legs from the supporting position.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature.

FLOYD H. HATFIELD. 

